Alameda County Board adopts $5.1 billion 2025–26 budget, pledges more public engagement

The Alameda County Board of Supervisors on June 26 voted unanimously to adopt a $5.1 billion final budget for fiscal year 2025–26 that officials said is balanced and preserves county services without layoffs.

County Administrator said in presenting the plan that “the final budget for all funds totals $5,100,000,000 and provides funding for almost 10,500 full time equivalent positions,” and that the general fund portion totals $4,300,000,000. The Administrator told the board the plan closes about $105,700,000 in projected funding gaps “through a combination of spending reductions, revenue increases and the use of prior year savings.”

Why it matters: The budget keeps intact large allocations for health and social services while using a mix of ongoing and one‑time strategies to close shortfalls. The adopted plan includes substantial investments the Administrator outlined as key countywide priorities — nearly $1,800,000,000 in salary and benefits, about $800,000,000 for behavioral health care, and more than $220,000,000 for in‑home supportive services covering roughly 31,000 clients.

The Administrator also pointed to multi‑year initiatives and targeted items in the plan: $585,000,000 to support $2.9 billion in capital project needs; continued investments in housing and homelessness (more than $200,000,000); and a proposed framework to allocate Measure W funds, including a recommendation to support $4,500,000 for countywide emergency food services (of which $4,000,000 would be for meal procurement and delivery through the Alameda County Community Food Bank and $500,000 for food recovery services) and $2,000,000 to backfill senior services through the Area Agency on Aging.

Public reaction and board response: Multiple public speakers asked for clearer, earlier public notice and simpler materials. ‘‘It’s very frustrating to try to get people to participate in a 500 page document,’’ said Lisonbee Monroe of FASME, urging the board to post coherent materials and readable summaries. Asa Bommani of Restore Oakland asked the board to commit that ‘‘90% of Measure W funding must be used to safeguard our unhoused residents.’’ Other speakers, including Kari Malki and John Lindsay, echoed calls for more accessible agendas and earlier posting of supporting documents.

President Halbert acknowledged those concerns and said the board would refer the comments and submitted letters to the budget work group and schedule an additional fall meeting to improve next year’s process. Halbert told the board they would ‘‘schedule an incremental additional meeting sometime this fall to get well ahead of next year’s budget cycle’’ to increase opportunities for public engagement.

Board deliberations emphasized fiduciary responsibility and local priorities. Supervisor Miley and others cited outreach in unincorporated areas and committed to follow‑up meetings. Supervisor Fortunato Bass, who said his office would press for clarifying language in budget materials, praised staff for producing a balanced plan without layoffs and asked the County Administrator to update the record to show that $4,000,000 recommended for food support is for both procurement and meal preparation.

Action taken: Supervisor Tam moved to adopt the fiscal year 2025–26 final budget and to authorize the County Administrator and Auditor‑Controller to make technical adjustments; Supervisor Marquez seconded. A roll call vote recorded aye votes from all five supervisors and the motion passed 5‑0.

What’s next: The board approved the budget and directed staff to return with briefings and follow‑ups, including further work on Measure W allocations and additional community engagement before the next budget cycle.